One way to improve the load response and thus performance of armour layers is to manufacture the layers from thicker and stronger and thus more robust materials. For example, for pressure armour layers in which the layers are often formed from wound wires with adjacent windings in the layer interlocking, manufacturing the wires from thicker material results in the strength increasing appropriately. However, as more material is used, the weight of the flexible pipe increases. Ultimately the weight of the flexible pipe can become a limiting factor in using flexible pipe. Additionally, manufacturing flexible pipe using thicker material increases material costs appreciably, which is a disadvantage.
Regardless of measures taken to improve the performance of armour layers within a pipe body, there remains a risk of defects arising within a flexible pipe. A defect may comprise damage to an outer wall of a flexible pipe body resulting in the ingress of seawater into an annulus within the pipe body such that seawater fills voids between the armour layer wires and other structural elements of the pipe. Armour layer wires and other structural elements are typically manufactured from steel or other metal materials, which are vulnerable to accelerated corrosion upon contact with seawater. If such a defect is not detected promptly then the structural integrity of the pipe body can be compromised. Detection of defects has previously often required visual inspection of the pipe body, which can be hazardous, particular for deep water and ultra-deep water installations.